The lofty heights of the Rocky Mountains soon gave way to the Great Plains and the Colorado capital of Denver, a city whose 1993 hosting of World Youth Day with St. John Paul II has left a legacy of vibrant Catholic apostolates. On Sunday, June 9, nearly 5,000 people joined the pilgrims and filled the streets of downtown Denver in what was likely the largest Eucharistic procession in the city’s history.
On the northern Marian Route, more than 3,000 faithful gathered near the riverside city of La Crosse and, together with Minnesota pilgrims, processed with the Eucharist across the Mississippi River, which was originally named the River of the Immaculate Conception by Jesuit explorer Father Jacques Marquette in 1673.
As in previous weeks, the pilgrims had nothing but praise for the people they have met along the way who have shown them hospitality and welcome. They also expressed amazement at the large numbers of people who have come out to join the processions.
“It feels like we’ve been on this pilgrimage for three years now because it’s been so jam-packed, but that’s so amazing,” said Amayrani Higueldo-Sanchez, a pilgrim on the eastern Seton Route, which recently passed by the National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Emmitsburg, Maryland.
“I think culturally, for me, it’s been a real shocker just to see how many different cultures worship in such different ways, but we’re all united in Christ. It’s just so beautiful to witness,” she continued.
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